Monday, August 13, 2018

Veil of Thorns - Manifestation Objective (2005) [Full Album Video]

Originally released as a CDR back in 2005. Veil Of Thorns 2005 masterpiece was conceived during a period of hyper activity for P. Emerson Williams who also released two Choronzon CD’s at the same time (“New World Chaos” and “Panic Pandemic”.)

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This was out a few years ago but has now reappeared in a mini-slew of recent releases, highlighting the more accessible area of their shady swamplike sound, for when not disturbing Veil Of Thorns can always offer the generally disturbed.
‘Reproach (Full Of Hope)’ is essentially groaning rock pulling at its own restraints, stretchy, floaty and melodic to the point of being sensitive.
‘My Inner Sanctum’ gets the bovine bass swinging, and with a nimble rhythm and delicate vocals it’s positively catchy in its ghostly silkiness.
‘Exaltation In Ascendancy’ is a slurry or agitated, urgent muted mutant rock and ‘Worship Of Disclosure’ consistently devious in its dipping rhythmical demeanour, with the vocals unusually sparse and lilting. Furtive, light guitar scurries beautifully in the hydraulic ‘Manifestation Objective’ which always threatens to go into freefall.
‘Draw In, Wind Down’ is a dyed-in-the-wool dying dawdle, ‘Dream Shadow’ preferring a blipverting Goth-psyche tangle, agony and ecstasy kicked under the table and left to fight it out. ‘Can’t Stop Laughing (The Beauty Of Drowning)’ gets to its knees threatening to be ‘Goldfinger’ but soon starts to snake around having a gloomy seizure but some spectacularly tingly guitar hauls it up by pointy bootstraps. ‘Undergrowth Silent With Want.’ works as an inflated sort of drone and by the time it’s finished you’re stuck in its addled groove, and the petite circles creating ‘Fated, Cascading, Submerged’ also snag you easily, being a thin veneer of a psychedelia, smeared with rock sighs. Then ‘Extend Inward, Breathe Out’ bewilders, crashing in like an alternate Portishead ending, but slowly disintegrating into ‘The Gathering World Withdrew Its Fury’ which lumbers off bleary, slowly, sore of head and heavy of heart, Plenty here. -Mick Mercer